Philanthropist Joan Waitt will return as the co-chair of this year’s Promises2Kids Dream On Concert Gala on Sept. 9, opening up her La Jolla estate to raise funds for children living in foster care. Here, we check in with Waitt ahead of the gala, headlined by Kool & The Gang.
Joan Waitt; PHOTO BY GILDA ADLER
How has giving back shaped your life? I know it’s made me a better person, mother and daughter. I’m a very spiritual person who feels like Promises2Kids picked me. When I started on the board, it was a struggling organization. I fired the CEO and ran the office for eight months until I found Tonya Torosian, our current CEO and president.
Why does the Promises2Kids mission particularly resonate with you? I resonate with Promises2Kids as it was my life; I just wasn’t a foster youth. I grew up extremely poor with a fabulous father of five, who raised four girls and one boy under the age of 6 when my mother passed. He is the reason I am who I am. My father was a very special man. He was my rock.
What excites you most about co-chairing the upcoming gala? I love co-chairing the gala; I’ve been doing it for years. It’s fun seeing all the moving parts come together. Picking the band is my favorite. We always have a surprise or two, but my lips are sealed.
What do you hope your legacy will be? I hope my legacy is that I was a compassionate, loving mother who supported her community.
Dream dinner party: Who is there, and what do you serve? It would be a Lebanese dinner party with Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Colin Powell, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana.
Words to live by? Never take life too seriously.
My favorite place on earth is… my home.
My favorite splurge is… jewelry.
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